It's already been six weeks plus since Joey and Laura got married. As I write, they are flying to Taiwan for a visit—Joey's first return since he came with a cast on his leg for Christmas 2009, and his new wife Laura's first time to see where he grew up k-12.
In the meantime, Laura and I have taken on some new assignments. We are now getting acquainted in a deeper way with friends and coworkers in several countries in the part of Asia nearer Europe. (I won't mention the names here, but you've heard them!) Within our non-profit, we're part of the "GloCare" team, responsible for global care for friends and co-workers, and within this team, different ones of us are designated to coordinate with care facilitators in each area to help each international worker we partner with to stay, to flourish, and to contribute. We also partner with other like-minded workers and caregivers in these areas.
Our strategy is to seek maximum face time with the friends and coworkers we want to support—to go to where they are, to invite them to come to us, to meet up with them where they gather, and to connect at a distance. Beyond that, I work on projects to enhance global care and we both invest in mentoring and small groups locally.
One of the projects that has come up just now involves the "A team." TEAM actively works to identify people who are a good fit with our approach to international service roles and coach, advocate, and mentor them toward full readiness for servant ministry in places with the most need. The "A team" is working to make our process friendlier, faster, and more valuable to millennials and beyond who are potential partners with us. Please intercede for me in this, for the "A team" and its role in this, and for progress toward these meaningful goals. The "A" stands for assessment, which stands alongside coaching and placement as the three key challenges for deployment in international service roles.
Yours with love in the one who keeps us,
Steve and Laura
PS Since these countries we referred to above are in the "red zone*," we won't be giving details about our travels and contacts in these updates. Of course, the places we go will still be listed in our passports and we'll have valid reasons for being there when we go! We are also doing some traveling to meet up with people in North America while they're back since the trips are shorter (for us!) and people are (sometimes!) more free to visit here.
Special thanks to those who are helping us fund this travel. We try to do it as frugally as possible, but it is a major expense for us. We would benefit from additional partners, so we invite you to join us in funding this as well.
*red zone=places where ministry is not a good reason in itself to be there, so other valid reasons for being present and caring for people are essential.
TEAM, PO Box 969, Wheaton, IL 60187, 800 343-3144
<spinella@alumni.rice.edu> <lauraspinella@alumni.rice.edu>
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